Opinion

EDITORIALS: S.B. gets much needed fiscal flexibility

On Wednesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Meredith Jury ruled the San Bernardino city charter does not prohibit outsourcing of fire services. The removal of this hurdle clears the way for the city to consider two potential options for fire protection – the county or private firm Centerra.

“It is very scary to think your elected politicians can replace your professional fire department with a private, for-profit private corporation,” announced the San Bernardino City Professional Firefighters union after the ruling. “Not only does this affect your safety, but also your property values and insurance premiums. Once again the politicians are putting their political agendas in front of the needs of the citizen.”

This is not the first time the union has singled out the private service provider while neglecting to mention the county option.

“The first responsibility of any city is the protection and safety of its residents,” the union’s vice president, Steve Tracy, said at a City Council meeting in May. “Privatizing fire protection puts the bottom line ahead of public safety, pure and simple.”

Since privatization isn’t the only option, it is apparent the union thinks hiding behind the condemnation of “profit” and concern for “the bottom line” will convince city residents to rally behind the unsustainable city fire department.

The reality is the firefighters union has put the well-being of its members ahead of city residents. That’s the union’s job. The problem is that when the city is in a financial crisis like bankrupt San Bernardino is, at some point, the best interests of all parties must be considered.

While every other union engaged in good-faith talks with the city to deal with the bankruptcy, the firefighters union fought every step of the way, appealing virtually every legal ruling against it and wasting any opportunity to come to an amicable resolution.

In a bankrupt city where the median household income is less than $40,000, more than half of the city’s firefighters make over $150,000. While the sacrifices and hard work of firefighters isn’t in question, there’s a limit on what can be afforded.

As the city is hoping to save between $7 million and $10 million on outsourcing fire services, the status quo is simply unaffordable.

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